Do not tell me my father is trying I do not know this man I can only wonder Why did he wait I begged him To look at me Not even to love Just to see How could you not know One day I would be a woman I thought I would be Everything you were not When I look in the mirror I am your reflection Everything you are Your anger burned into my voice Your strength in my fist You gave me this fire It burns me up from the inside I hear you Echo in my head Do not tell me You are trying Because when I tried Begged, pleaded, asked You turned me away For 25 years I waited For you to do better For me to be enough To separate myself from the desire To make you proud Of that, I will never be worthy This is not my deepest wound It is one that will scab over I will pick at again and again To watch it bleed It is your blood in my veins